B Block Final Round

Kaito Kiyomiya may be eliminated from the G1, but he's not packing his bags yet, he still has to finish the tour. In the opening contest he found himself stood across the ring from SANADA in a tag match. However nothing interesting happened, this was a short low impact opener to give SANADA an easy match to rest up his strained bicep before the quarter finals commence.


KENTA vs YOSHI-HASHI

The more aggressive KENTA came to play this time, attacking Y-H from behind as he posed to the fans. However Y-H is not going down without a fight and managed to match KENTA move for move, strike for strike, which is no easy feat. KENTA had a difficult time trying to bump the referee by shoving Y-H into him, but he eventually succeeded. Y-H then suffered a few kendo stick shots, but KENTA's attack backfired when he got too cocky. He tried to use Y-H's staff against him, but Y-H moved and the staff rebounded against the ropes to strike its wielder in the face.

The match did not end there: the referee woke up and there was some nice back and forth action. Y-H had KENTA in position for Karma but KENTA reversed into a small package to score the victory. He didn't even grab the tights!


Taichi vs Great O-Khan

It was amateur wrestling hour. O-Khan is no stranger to grappling, and certainly outgrappled Taichi in the first few minutes, but Taichi surprised everyone by pulling out submission hold after submission hold, nearly forcing O-Khan to submit on multiple ocasions.

It wasn't all submissions: near the end of the match both men were striking each other with full force. In the end O-Khan locked Taichi in his sidearm choke. Taichi could not escape the hold or make it to the ropes and was eventually forced to submit.


Kazuchika Okada vs Tanga Loa

Okada was outspoken about Loa defeating Ospreay by countout. He did not approve. Okada also appeared irritated by Loa's approach to the match. The happy-go-lucky Tongan started with some casual rollups and a jab to the throat. Okada bailed to the floor. Loa followed, calmly strolling towards Okada.

Activate murder Okada. Boot to the stomach, DDT. Okada took Loa to the English announce desk and repeatedly slammed his head against it, eventually breaking the table. Okada continued the attack in the ring. Loa rose up and showed some fire in his comeback, using his raw size and strength to take the lead. The problem is Loa kinda sucks, particularly his strikes, and he's starting doing this god awful combo where he alternates between throat jabs and backhand strikes to the abdomen. They look terrible. Okada must have been embarrassed to sell it.

The action spilled to the floor for the second time, where Loa set up the move that allowed him to beat Ospreay by countout. Okada escaped and could have won by countout himself, but took the high road and rolled Loa in the ring. Easy to be so high and mighty when you're basically unpinnable.

The usual back-and-forth happened, but there wasn't much drama as Loa didn't even get close to hitting a big move. Okada hits Landslide, Rainmaker, GG.


Will Ospreay vs El Phantasmo

Ospreay and ELP go back many years. They've wrestled in England and in NJPW. Back when they were both juniors, ELP had Ospreay's number despite Ospreay being the leader of the division. More recently, Ospreay has grown stronger and has the momentum on his side. ELP has to win to advance. If he loses, or if they draw, Ospreay finishes second in B Block.

The bell rings. Loud ELP chants. Osaka is the Canada of Japan - they root for the underdogs, the person you don't expect. That's not to say ELP isn't over elsewhere, because he is, but he's super over in Osaka, in this specific situation where he is the clear underdog.

The tremendous chemistry between the two wrestlers is evident in the blistering opening sequence, taking both wrestlers back to their high speed junior heavyweight days. However both are heavyweights now, and Ospreay was the first to show that when he got more aggressive, brutally attacking ELP on the floor. Ospreay has that killer instinct that got him to the top. ELP showed that side of himself against KENTA but is he able to bring it out consistently?

Around the five minute mark came ELP's comeback and the big moves started rolling in. One highlight was Ospreay hitting the Oz Cutter on the apron. Ospreay rolled in the ring and was perfectly content to win by countout (Okada would disapprove). ELP looked like he was going to roll in at 12 but collapsed on the floor. He eventually rolled in at 19. Ospreay was waiting with the springboard dropkick, but ELP was expecting this, popped to his feet and blasted Ospreay with a superkick. ELP was playing possum on the floor! A genius move.

From this moment on ELP stayed on top and hit Ospreay with everything he had. And I mean everything. The Lionsault, Thunderkiss Splash, Burning Hammer, Sudden Death, a Poisonrana. Ospreay kicked out if it all. It wasn't all in a row, Ospreay hit some moves in between, but they were few and far between. ELP wasn't done. He hit an Ozcutter and then his own finisher, the CR2. Osaka thought it was all over. I thought it was all over. Nope. Ospreay kicked out.

Credit to ELP, he didn't lose his cool. He perched Ospreay on the top rope and went for...we will never know. Ospreay escaped, but still ELP kept on offense, kicking Ospreay back and leaping from the top...into a cutter. ELP kept fighting, scoring with a number of dramatic rollups. Ospreay survived it all, hit the Oz Cutter, and Hidden Blade. ELP kicks out! We expected that. Ospreay underhooks ELP and yells "Storm Driver". Not his usual Stormbreaker, but the Tiger Driver '91 he used to crush Kenny Omega. A special treat for ELP. Kenny survived that blow, but ELP did not. Ospreay wins a brilliant match.

Ospreay on the mic is full of praise for ELP, but he said he is unbeatable, and he is determined to win the G1 to elevate his US Championship. An interesting moment backstage sees Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa congratulate ELP and invite him to dinner. The birth of a new faction - Bullet Club Exiles? That hardly fills me with excitement.


B Block Summary



Will Ospreay truly is on another level and he is always the MVP of his G1 block. 2023 is no exception. Ospreay killed it in every match. His matches against Taichi, KENTA and ELP are all MOTT candidates. He brought out a new side of Great O-Khan. He had a lousy match against Tanga Loa, but so did everyone.

Okada of course wins the block, only taking one defeat, but his match quality was better than usual. The problem with Okada in the G1 is that there's little jeopardy in his matches because he's going to win almost every match. That said, his early matches against O-Khan, Y-H, Taichi and ELP were all great contests in which Okada was in some serious trouble.

ELP had a rough start but really pulled it together in the end. He has a bright future.

KENTA exceeded expectations. Two great matches against Ospreay and Okada and was more interesting than usual in the rest of his block matches.

Taichi also excelled against Ospreay and Okada but was pretty disappointing in the rest of the tournament.

The less said about YOSHI-HASHI and Tanga Loa the better. Tanga Loa especially stunk up the joint. Even Yujiro would have been better.

Willy best in the world right now. Hoping he is at All In but matches are getting penned in, and not seeing his place unless he is fighting Mox or Jericho.

Aug 6, 2023 20:47:35 GMT Emperor said:

The problem is Loa kinda sucks, particularly his strikes, and he's starting doing this god awful combo where he alternates between throat jabs and backhand strikes to the abdomen. They look terrible. Okada must have been embarrassed to sell it.

Someone posted the clip of this on reddit. Be prepared to cringe.

Those throat chops LMAO. It's like ZSJ only worse...

Holy shit he fucking killed Okada.

It gets better. Someone captured Okada's comments, from the night before he wrestled Tanga Loa.

www.reddit.com/gallery/15jctd9

:lol:

In the post-match comments Okada acknowledged that Tanga has finally become a real New Japan wrestler, he felt the fire. Wow, those strikes really did a number on him.

Looking like we had a banger today.

c whatever link you posted didn't work.

I caught highlights of Eddie Kingston vs David Finlay. Everything I have watched of Eddie on this tour has been great. He really looks at home in an NJPW ring. Putting the STRONG Openweight title on him was a great call. He might just put that title on the map finally.

Tweet must have been removed. Was the half and half to backfist Eddie hit today.  You commented on it too I believe.

If you want to see the most wholesome geek out moment in all of wrestling, watch this. Eddie got surprised with a meet and greet with Toshiaki Kawada, his hero. Eddie's ring attire is a tribute to him. It's a long video but worth seeing his reactions and Kawada being blown away by his AJPW knowledge:

C Block Final Round

Tomohiro Ishii vs Mikey Nicholls

Ishii is a fan favourite, and never more so than in his home town. However he is at the bottom of the block with only one win to his name. Nicholls isn't doing much better, having won only two matches, but a victory would put him at a respectable six points.

The first few minutes are dull. I'm thinking to myself "how can you have a bad match with Ishii?" When Nicholls bites Ishii, inciting boos, I realise he is playing the heel role, which may explain his rather slow wrestling. Another issue is the height difference which makes the typical Ishii strike exchanges look clunky and awkward.

Fortunately both wrestlers realise this. The match turns when Nicholls spikes Ishii with a big DDT. Ishii writhes around on the mat, grabbing at his non-existent neck. Nicholls switches his offense to standard moves. Stalling vertical suplex. Top rope superplex. Tornado DDT. He even busts out a beautiful moonsault later in the match.

It all builds and builds to a hot climax where Ishii is on the edge of defeat, but he stays alive, scratching and clawing, before he puts Nicholls away with a combo of a headbutt, a lariat and the vertical drop brainbuster to a huge crowd response.

Ishii is almost always putting the shine on his opponents, win or lose, so it was a bit jarring to see Nicholls take a back seat to put the focus on Ishii. Once I realised what they were doing, I appreciated it, and both guys did a great job in raising the tension to the end.


Tama Tonga vs Toa Henare

The more I hear Henare's music the more I'm convinced it's one of wrestling's great heavy metal entrance songs. Fits his character perfectly.

Tama Tonga has always had an unorthodox style, an unusual agility and quickness. He used this to keep Henare off balance in the early going, but Henare snapped off a nice Disaster kick and from them on dominated Tonga. Tama found space to execute a nice dropkick to get back into the match and fired off some of his strong offense.

The match went into the usual back and forth affair. Henare locked in his submission finisher, the Ultimate, a Full Nelson. This has the Masterlock/Hurt lock gimmick of being inescapable. Tonga fades out. In true NJPW style Henare releases the hold to attempt another move, but Tama pops up immediately and hits Gun Stun. What a dumb spot. Fortunately it doesn't end the match. Tama needs several seconds to make the cover and Henare kicks out.

After hitting one finisher Tama gained infinite charges, so he started spamming Gun Stuns. Henare avoided three in a row, hit Rampage which is the setup for his finisher. Henare picks up Tonga for the Streets of Rage. Tama drops down, hits a superman punch kinda thing, then hits the Jay Driller to win his final round. Meh ending to a meh match.

It's a shame Henare is booked so poorly since he works harder than most on his character and freshening up his act and he's always improving in the ring. He joins Ishii and Nicholls at the bottom with four points. However Tama's victory is a sensible result since it adds more tension to the block situation. Tonga has a theoretical chance of advancing to the quarter finals.


David Finlay vs Eddie Kingston

Finlay and Kingston had a personal edge to their build. Their connection - Jay White. Eddie Kingston defeated Jay White in USA to exile the former Bullet Club leader from the company. Finlay picked up the pieces, striking the fallen White with his shillelagh, foreshadowing his succession to the throne.

Finlay wants to prove himself as the greatest Bullet Club leader, not only by winning the G1, but by defeating the man who eliminated the previous leader. To Kingston, everything is personal, even though to my knowledge the two had never met before this tour.

The match started out hot with the action spillin to the floor. Eddie had the edge, but Bullet Club members get a +10 strength bonus outside the ring, so it wasn't long before Finlay turned the tables by ramming Eddie back first into the rail. Eddie's back is a pain point of the tournament, so a smart place for Finlay to focus on. Kingston selled emotively, like he always does, and clawed back into the fight. His chops were harder than ever, coming from a special place of anger and hatred.

The fight returned to ringside where Eddie threw Kingston skull first into the ring post. Eddie was out, leading to a dramatic countout spot where Kingston sneaked in the ring just in the nick of time. Finlay pounced, but Eddie was ready with a counter, hitting a half nelson suplex, and the Backfist! One backfist ain't enough to win in the G1. Kingston knows that. He tried for the Northern Lights Bomb. Finlay escaped, but got peppered with two more backfists and the Northern Lights Bomb! Finlay landed suspiciously close to the ropes, no surprises what happened. One, two, foot on the ropes.

Kingston was surprised but he kept his cool. He attempted another, but Finlay mustered all his energy to yank Kingston up enough to hit a desperation Into Oblivion, but he was too spend to make the cover. Both men battled to their feet. Some dramatic back and forth happened, but Finlay got a second wind, connecting with a Spear and a second Into Oblivion to win the match, and guarantee himself outright first in the block. Kingston leaves empty-handed, but a great record of four wins and three losses.


Shingo Takagi vs EVIL

Much like A block, the main event represents the fight for second place. If Takagi wins, he ties with Tama Tonga on points. Since they tied their individual match, they'd have a playoff match. Any other outcome - EVIL advances.

The final match of the block. The main event. EVIL stepped up. He stepped up by somehow being even more obnoxiously heelish than he normally is. I didn't think it was possible. Naturally, the crowd loathed EVIL, loved Shingo, and everyone involved played into it. Dick Togo got involved in the early going. Halfway through the match the rest of House of Torture showed up. Yujiro and Sho making their second appearance by EVIL's side. The first was in the gang warfare match EVIL vs Finlay.

As one might expect, the match devolved into pure pantomime. A smorgasbord of shenangians and chicanery that would have Attitude Era WCW shaking their fists in jealousy. Takagi hit his finisher with more ease than one would expect in order to set up this chaotic and exciting second act. The ref got pulled from the ring. Dick Togo counted the pinfall and Yujiro rang the bell. Takagi was understandably confused and put on a hilarious exaggerated shocked face. The beating began - four on one. BUSHI and Tsuji from LIJ came to support, only to be neutralised immediately. The distraction allowed Takagi to rally a brief comeback, but he was shut down again. He got hit with a staff, a chair, and by Sho's Shock Arrow finisher. Job done. EVIL makes the cover. One! Two!

Hiromu Takahashi is out! He pulls the ref from the ring! More pantotime ensues as LIJ and HoT fight to the death in and around the ring. The smoke clears and it's back to Takagi and EVIL. They brawl for a couple of minutes. The freight train named Shingo Takagi blasts EVIL with a lariat. EVIL is on his knees, dead weight. I see what's coming a million miles away. EVIL shoves the ref and low blows Takagi in one smooth motion. Hits his finisher. EVIL joins Finlay in the quarter finals.

tl;dr: EVIL cheats, EVIL wins.

The finish was a letdown but I must admit the way we got there was pretty fun. You gotta go all in with these matches, and that's exactly what they did.


C Block Summary



C Block is dubbed "Murderer's Row" because it's full of those hard-hitting bruiser types. That means it's full of those hoss fights with beefy guys ramming into each other for 15 minutes. It's a staple match type and a fan favourite. The drawback is that all the matches blur together so it's not easy to discuss the standout performers as it is for the other blocks. Nevertheless, I shall try.

Eddie Kingston. I was disappointed when he was announced as AEW's representative, but he has exceeded all my expectations. While he's not as strong at the bruiser style as most of the group, he's good enough to belong. It was his emotive selling that really helped him stand apart from the group, earning the support of the Japanese audience and myself. Well done Eddie.

Ishii is normally a standout of the G1 regardless of his win-loss record, but his ability is fading and he wasn't churning out MOTN's at the same level he used to.

David Finlay is clearly the star of the group. His results speak for themselves, but the match quality was lacking. Honestly I'd say my favourite Finlay match was the match against EVIL, which was almost as schmozzy as the EVIL/Shingo match.

Henare - love the new gimmick and the new look except for his bright green shorts. His ring work is improving but he's still a level or two beneath the likes of Ishii and Takagi. NJPW interviewed Henare about the cultural significance of his facial tattoos, it's worth a read.

Everyone else was just there.

Aug 8, 2023 17:13:11 GMT RT said:

If you want to see the most wholesome geek out moment in all of wrestling, watch this. Eddie got surprised with a meet and greet with Toshiaki Kawada, his hero. Eddie's ring attire is a tribute to him. It's a long video but worth seeing his reactions and Kawada being blown away by his AJPW knowledge:

That's so cool. But there's no translation to Kawada's words. Does Eddie understand what he's saying? I hope this gets subtitled somehow.

Emperor I believe the woman that was there was translating for Eddie and they just edited all that out since it is for the Japanese channel. I didn't think to check the English channel and see if it was posted there. I just posted it more for Eddie's reactions and stuff.

When Eddie is on and fired up he is nearly untouchable. Glad more people got to see this side of Eddie. His selling is absolutely amazing when he really turns it on as he can connect with the crowd so well.

I really think we will see him a lot more in Japan after this. It feels like this is where he belongs. I hope after this performance, he gets to work in a multiman at Wrestle Kingdom too.

That Kawada vid is cute.

It is really funny Eddie broke out like all of the moves he said he waa gonna try to retire for G1. A lot of his more headdroppy moves he has not been using in the US as part of a movement from some vets to get the younger guys to stop dropping each other on their necks a dozen times each night. Part of why he is kind of boring in the ring in AEW is he is trying to lead example working a far safer style. That went out of the window in G1.

D Block Final Round

After the rough ending to C Block we are treated to the finale of D Block, and the first stage of G1. Jeff Cobb, Zack Sabre Jr., Hirooki Goto, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tetsuya Naito all battle for a place in the knockout stage. Before we get to them...


Alex Coughlin vs Toru Yano

Gabe Kidd didn't get to attack SANADA during his entrance, so he was owed one more ambush. That is why he jumped Toru Yano during his entrance, commencing a two-on-one beatdown. Yano is a goofball these days but he can be savage when provoked, as Chase Owens found out in their I Quit match a few years ago. The savage Yano was provoked, and he turned the tables, battering both the War Dogs with a steel chair.

Yano and Coughlin entered the ring where the match officially started. It was a pretty wild brawl. No comedy from Yano. He got some kind of string object and garotted Coughlin with it, in full view of the referee. Was he disqualified? Of course not. Coughlin managed to stand his ground. Later on Gabe Kidd got involved but was rewarded by Yano powerbombing him through a table. Back in the ring Coughlin outmuscled Yano and hit him with the Jackhammer for the win.

Pretty odd way to end the G1 for both guys. Although savage Yano was unleashed, War Dogs were still make to look silly by getting almost losing a handicap match against a comedy jobber.


Jeff Cobb vs Shane Haste

Shane Haste is eliminated but he could play spoiler, and help out TMDK stablemate Zack, by defeating Cobb or holding him to a draw.

Haste is almost the perfect wrestler to fight against Cobb. He has enough strength to throw Cobb around while possessing agility and long limbs to attack from a distance. Haste balanced both of these assets effectively. Sometimes he slammed Cobb and sometimes he kicked him. Haste had the majority of offense, but it wasn't a big majority as Cobb is a hard man to keep down. Cobb also got some chances to bump and throw around Haste.

At the 10 minute mark Haste deliberately dragged Cobb out of the ring and up the ramp. They tussled for the advantage, which was achieved by Cobb when he body slammed Haste on the ramp. At this point the referee started the 20 count. Cobb strolled back towards the ring. Haste caught up and tried to stop Cobb by grabbing his neck, but Cobb effortlessly swatted him away. Cobb was a few feet from the ring, still very casual, when Haste leapt on his back. Cobb spun him off and attemped Tour of the Islands on the floor, but Haste escaped, dropped down, and clutched the ankle of Cobb, hooking his feet on the guardrail. At this point the count was at 15, and Cobb could do nothing to avoid the dreaded double count out.

Cobb was naturally furious and destroyed the timekeeper's table. Cobb isn't eliminated, but his fate is no longer in his own hands. If Zack or Naito lose, Cobb advances. Decent odds, but a Cobb victory secured him first place in the block.


Hirooki Goto vs Zack Sabre Jr.

ZSJ is the clear favourite but Goto is a man who can never be counted out, particularly since his rib injury has healed enough for him to stop wearing the tape. Goto had the initial flurry but Zack caught a spinkick, took Goto down, and started attacking Goto's back. Zack normally targets a limb, so a slightly unusual strategy, but it was very deliberate. He must be thinking that Goto's midsection is not as recovered as Goto is letting on.

Zack worked over the back for a while then switched focus to Goto's arms. It didn't last long as Goto got back into the match and hit some heavy offense. For some inexplicable reason Zack started trading blows with Goto. To be fair, his forearms have become rather powerful, but one Goto forearm was equal to three of Zack's. Alright Zack, you've had your fun, get back to some tekkers. Nope! Zack throws a lariat at Goto! What?! Both men charge at each other like a Shingo vs Ishii match. What are you doing Zack?! To his credit, Zack stays on his feet for three clashes but on the fourth Goto blasts Zack. Goto lifts Zack to his feet, who busts out a Zack Driver from out of nowhere! However Goto's crushing offense left Zack motionless and unable to capitalise.

Both men get up. Time to reset. Play to your strengths, Zack! Nope...Zack starts hitting again. I really start to feel that Zack is going to throw this away. Of course Goto gets the better end of the striking battle. Moments later, Zack starts striking Goto's arms. That's more like it! The battle returns to what it should be - Goto's brute force versus Zack's technical ability. Zack escapes GTR two times and ties Goto up in the Cobra Twist. YES! Zack takes Goto to the ground and starts maneouvering his limbs around, inventing a new submission hold on the spot.

Zack succeeds in stretching Goto's arms behind his back while also tying up his legs. Goto is in the centre of the ring, in agony and helpless. He verbally submits! Zack Sabre Jr. is through! Rejoice!


Tetsuya Naito vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

Stylistically, this was a complete Tanahashi match. A Tanahashi's greatest hits, if you will. Naito took a back seat, wrestling about 33% of his normal strength so that Tanahashi could plausibly be on top.

We saw all the usual Tanahashi offense and some special guests, such as the High Fly Crossbody from the top rope to the floor. That used to be a Tanahashi regular, but for understandable reasons it's reserved for a few times a year. Because this was a Tanahashi match rather than a Naito match, it was wrestled at a snail's pace and we saw very little of Naito's dynamic offense. But the crowd were into it from start to finish, it certainly had a special feeling.

Tanahashi hit Sling Blade, a High Fly crossbody which is the setup for the High Fly Flow. Tanahashi leapt from the top, onto Naito's upraised knees. Predictable. Naito starts some offense. Tanahashi with a surprise small package! One! Two! Naito kicks out! Suddenly Naito hits his signature Tornado DDT, but nastier version that spiked Tanahashi right on his head. Naito stays there in a small package position. One! Two! Three!

That was certainly a match. Naito takes first place in D Block. Zack Sabre Jr. is second place.


D Block Summary



In contrast to C Block, D Block was full of variety. It's hard to pick a standout as everyone brought something different to the table.

Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Zack Sabre Jr. all have a good claim to block MVP. All three bring completely different styles to the table and meshed well with all of their opponents.

Toru Yano found a way to freshen up his act in his early matches. The delightful mascot Tomokun appeared in the first round, never to return again after a traumatic experience under the ring with Goto. Yano's second round match with Zack was awesome. He had fun bouts with Naito, Tanahashi, Haste and Cobb. The last round match against Coughlin kinda sucked, but it was something different. Yano's peak days are over but this is the most fun Yano has been in years.

While Coughlin didn't stand out as much as the uncontrollable Gabe Kidd, he still made a mark with some extraordinary displays of strength, particularly against Jeff Cobb. However I don't rate his ability to put a match together, he was far less convincing than Kidd in that respect. The highlight of his G1 is still the promo in the pre-tournament press conference.

Hirooki Goto and Shane Haste exceeded my pretty low expectations. Haste's unique blend of goofiness, power and athleticism was fascinating to watch and caught his opponents off guard, especially Naito. Goto is as Goto always will be, but somehow I found him more interesting than I normally do. Probably the variety of opposition.

Tanahashi really sucks these days. However he did have a great match with Goto, a borderline great match with Zack, and he can hold his head up high with the fact that he's not as bad as Tanga Loa.

The G1 Climax quarterfinals take place August 10 in Funabashi. Hikuleo will face Tetsuya Naito, Will Ospreay will meet David Finlay, EVIL will face SANADA and Kazuchika Okada will take on Zack Sabre Jr.


Hikuleo vs Naito
Surely a must win for Naito.


Ospreay vs Finlay

Exciting. They have wrestled three times previously, the score is 2-1 Ospreay. Finlay memorably defeated Ospreay in last year's G1, leading to a US Championship challenge which Ospreay won to retain. Besides that, Finlay lost to Ospreay in the semifinals of the 2021 New Japan Cup, the same tournament where he defeated Jay White in the quarters.

Both men have grown since then. Finlay became the leader of Bullet Club and has been close to unstoppable since then. Ospreay lost to Kenny Omega, then defeated Kenny Omega, and smashed through the G1 including a win against Okada. He's just as unstoppable as Finlay, but something's got to give. Ospreay is the favourite, but not a big favourite.


EVIL vs SANADA

SANADA is the only undefeated man in the tournament. I believe this is SANADA's way out to take a loss while not losing credibility. I predict EVIL cheats, EVIL wins. Which will set up an unpleasant IWGP Championship main event for one of the autumn shows.


Okada vs Zack

I love this pairing - one of NJPW's rarest. They've only met twice before, both times after Zack won the New Japan Cup (2018, 2022) and challenged Okada for the top prize. Okada won both matches. I predict Okada wins this one too, but I'll be cheering Zack all the way.

Zack christened his finishing hold.

With a little more planning and coordination, we could have had Will Ospreay vs ZSJ in the G1 Climax Finals at Wembley.

Fucking love Zack's absurd finisher names.

G1 goes to Kingdom right? I could've sworn it was addressed years ago, but what happens if you win as champion like Sanada (anyone but him including ZSJ)? Do you get to pick your match? Can it be a emergency MITB if you lose it before January?

If the champion wins, he picks the challenger. SANADA says he will pick his bro Taichi. Which is why he's not going to win.

Aug 9, 2023 21:57:19 GMT RT said:

With a little more planning and coordination, we could have had Will Ospreay vs ZSJ in the G1 Climax Finals at Wembley.

Awesome idea, but I doubt the G1 Climax final is something that NJPW wants on an AEW show, even if it is Wembley.

Or outside of Japan.

Quarter Finals Results:

SPOILER: Click to show

Well we don't have to worry about it. EVIL defeated SANADA in the worst match of the tournament so far. And it guarantees a rematch because EVIL pinned the champ. Lovely.

Naito def. Hikuleo, Okada def. ZSJ & Ospreay def. Finlay. Probably the most predictable outcome which is kind of annoying but that's NJPW for you. They rarely hand us surprises this time of year and save those for Wrestle Kingdom (if there are any).

So now we get Naito vs Ospreay and Okada vs EVIL with the winners facing off in the finals. Smart money is Okada vs Ospreay but I could see Naito pulling it off and facing his old bro SANADA at WK.

I'm annoyed ZSJ still hasn't beaten Okada but his day will come eventually. Maybe. Hopefully.

Tetsuya Naito vs Hikuleo

Hikuleo did well to qualify in the young and hungry A Block, but the two qualifiers of that group do have an asterisk against their name. SANADA, you could claim, had an easy ride, beating youngsters and an experienced but non-threatening midcarder in Chase Owens. For the rest, the only top talent they had to face was SANADA, and SANADA beat all of them. So Hikuleo is the best of the rest.

Hikuleo is one of the more battle-tested members of his block, having defeated Jay White and KENTA in high profile singles matches, but his experience pales in comparison to Tetsuya Naito and everyone else who reached this stage. His height is intimidating, but we all know that experience trumps everything in New Japan. Naito was certainly prepared, using his irritating tranquilo mind games to bait his opponent. Hikuleo is a pretty cool cat, but even he lost patience and got over aggressive, allowing Naito to chop the big man down at the knees.

Naito dominated the early part of the match. Not even SANADA was able to control Hikuleo quite like this. But the giant endured and found his way on top. All of Naito's craftiness and guile cannot resist a near 7 foot tall athlete. Hikuleo got some heavy offense going including a nice vertical suplex. Naito stayed agile and kept targeting the knees to keep his opponent off balance.

Late in the game we saw a drawback for Naito. A lot of his big offense moves involve him rising up onto his opponent and driving them down. Not great offense against a man like Hikuleo. Esperanza (Diamond Dust) was countered into a big powerslam. A Tornado DDT was caught and countered into a Last Ride. Naito kicked out, but his inability to hit any strong offense was concerning for Naito fans. That concern grew to fear when Hikuleo connected with his snap powerslam, the setup for his chokeslam finish. Hikuleo went for the chokeslam. Naito goes up, and crashes down...with Hikuleo's head hooked under his arm. DDT!

Naito survived once, but the drama wasn't over. Naito tried a Destino, but Hikuleo once more stopped Naito in mid air and slammed him down from a great height. Hikuleo again went for the chokeslam. Naito once again shifted in mid air, and managed to drop Hikuleo down with a Destino! Naito lifted Hikuleo up, hit the full Destino, and scored the pinfall against his dangerous opponent.

Naito built that match so well. Great start to the quarterfinals.


David Finlay vs Will Ospreay

The Bullet Club leader emerged first, flanked by his retinue of Gabe Kidd, Alex Coughlin and Gedo. Will Ospreay came out alone. Kidd and Coughlin marched in front of Ospreay. An intimidation tactic that fell on its face. Ospreay showed no fear. Suddenly Jeff Cobb and Great O-Khan stood behind Ospreay. Ospreay marched forward, sending the War Dogs backing off. Finlay stood in the ring and grinned. He must have been expecting that. The battle lines have been drawn, a prelude that added fire to an already hot contest.

The fight starts clean in the ring, and with a lot of attitude. Finlay slaps Ospreay at the first opportunity, Ospreay fires up with strong offense. Ospreay went for a springboard attack but Finlay leapt to his feet and shoved Ospreay to the floor. This wouldn't be the first time that Finlay shut down Ospreay's flying moves.

Finlay set up a table and tried to powerbomb Ospreay through it, but Cobb lifted the table and moved it away. Finlay spit in Cobb's face. Cobb shoved Finlay hard, in full view of the referee. Ospreay got disqualified, Finlay advances. Just kidding. No DQs, but the referee did ban Cobb from ringside. The action resumed in the ring.

Ospreay attemped his top rope corkscrew splash finisher far too prematurely: for the second time Ospreay was thwarted when Finlay yanked his leg, sending the Assassin face first into the turnbuckle. Ospreay recovered quickly and suddenly he was aiming for the Oz Cutter. Again, too soon. Finlay was waiting. When Ospreay leapt to the second rope, Finlay joined him and executed a perfect Russian leg sweep from the ropes. Both men crash to the mat. Fantastic counter. It's that kind of wrestling that puts Finlay a class above his War Dogs.

The fight returned to ringside where Finlay recovered the table that Cobb discarded earlier. They fought on the apron. Ospreay hit an Oz Cutter on the apron - a dumb spot because the receiver always bumps safely so it's clear the move hurts Ospreay more. It's the thought that counts, so Ospreay has the advantage and he powerbombed Finlay through the table with a satisfying crunch.

Back in the ring, Ospreay connected with his top rope corkscrew moonsault, with a catch. Off camera, Finlay had grabbed the referee and laid him on top of himself as a shield. Sorry KENTA, Finlay just stole away your prize of most creative ref bump. No prizes for guessing what happens next. The War Dogs storm the ring, stomping Ospreay to a chorus of boos. O-Khan tries to fight off the two men, but admits defeat and heroically throws himself on top of Ospreay. Just as this is happening, out comes Jeff Cobb to clean house. United Empire and War Dogs brawl out of the arena. We're back to two men. Almost...

Ospreay locks and loads his Hidden Blade, but unbeknownst to him, Gedo sneakily slid the shillelagh to his man. Finlay cracks Ospreay on the head. Finlay gestures to the back to send out another referee. Look, I know it's futile to quibble about NJPW rules, but if someone can see Finlay waving out a new ref, they must have seen him hit Ospreay with a foreign object in the middle of the ring. Ospreay kicks out. Into Oblivion countered into Stundog Millionaire. Hidden Blade reversed into a backslide and Into Oblivion, but Ospreay drops out behind the back. Finlay is on his knees, turns into a Hidden Blade! Finlay down. Ospreay lifts him up and delivers Stormbreaker! One! Two! Three!

Justice for Ospreay! Justice for the Empire!


SANADA vs EVIL

Two days ago EVIL defeated Shingo Takagi in a disastrous spectacle befitting of a high stakes House of Torture match. We just had some minor shenanigans in the previous match. Would this match be able to separate itself from those two, or are we going to see a repeat of endless bullshit? Let's not forget that EVIL and SANADA are former allies, winning World Tag League twice and former IWGP Tag Team Champions.

EVIL entered with only Dick Togo by his side, SANADA entered alone. I'll wager a large sum of money that other members of House of Torture and Just Five Guys make an appearance before the match concludes. As if to defy my words, EVIL sends Dick Togo to the back, promising a one-on-one contest. Ha! His name is literally EVIL, does anybody believe this facade?

The clean match lasted even shorter than I expected. About two minutes in SANADA tried to tie EVIL in the Paradise Lock. Out comes Dick Togo for the distraction, allowing EVIL to gain the upper hand. EVIL takes SANADA into the crowd and does the trendy activity of throwing his opponent into a pile of empty chairs. EVIL heads back to the ring, followed by SANADA who pretty easily slid into the ring at 15. EVIL whips SANADA into the exposed turnbuckle (Dick Togo always undoes the corner pad for EVIL's benefit). It's not long before SANADA reverses a second attempt and scores with a dropkick. We get a dumb Paradise Lock spot. I'm patiently waiting for something interesting to happen.

Skipping forward a bit. EVIL distracts the referee and hits a low blow. He goes for EVIL. SANADA reverses, shoves EVIL towards the referee causing him to turn away, then low blows EVIL to a huge reaction. SANADA with the O'Connor rollup. One! Two! Gedo drags the referee out of the ring! Boooooo. SANADA blasts them both with Shining Wizards. The referee is back. SANADA connects with the Moonsault! One! Two! EVIL kicks out! The age old rule: SANADA has a new finisher, so his old finisher is relegated to a near fall move. SANADA goes for his new finisher, Deadfall, but EVIL escapes by raking the eyes. With Dick Togo out of the picture EVIL stepped up, and he did in a huge way. He blasted SANADA with a lariat,b but soon ate another Shining Wizard. EVIL escaped Deadfall a second time and shocked SANADA with his finisher EVIL. One! Two! Three! Wow!

Technically I could say EVIL cheats, EVIL wins. EVIL did cheat, but when push came to shove he defeated SANADA through his own wrestling ability. As Kevin Kelly correctly pointed out, there is a world class wrestler hiding inside EVIL, but he rarely comes out. Not a tainted victory, but still it's a bit shit to see EVIL to advance and to be the first guy to defeat SANADA in over six months. In fact, it may be even worse than EVIL winning dirty, because Gedo is telling us that EVIL belongs at the top of the card.


Kazuchika Okada vs Zack Sabre Jr.

Before commencing our glorious main event, I must issue a correction. Previously I claimed that ZSJ and Okada faced each other only twice in the past. That is not true. They have, in fact, faced four times. The two IWGP championship matches I mentioned. In the 2019 G1, Okada beat Zack in 12 minutes. The only explanation is that the event was so traumatic that I blocked it from my mind.

The remaining match took place in July 2018, three months after their first singles encounter. It took place at a RevPro show that I certainly haven't seen. The card featured such extravagant matches as WALTER vs Yujiro Takahashi, Jay White vs Kyle Fletcher, and Zack Sabre Jr. DEFEATS Kazuchika Okada in 19 minutes. I definitely need to watch that match. Several times in a row. I'm especially intrigued to find out if Zack pinned Okada or submitted him. The main event of that show was Suzuki beating Ishii for the British Heavyweight Championship. How times have changed.

That puts their singles record at 3-1. A much better record than 2-0. There is hope.

After the initial rope break gamesmanship, Okada eats a few boots to the face and turns on his aggression mode. He tosses Zack to the floor and sends him flying into the barricade twice in a row. Zack fights back, using the rail to assist him in a Cobra Twist. He foolishly tries to suplex Okada into the crowd area. I see where this is going. Indeed, Okada blocks, pulls Zack so his feet are draping on the rail, DDT.

Okada wears Zack down in the ring, dominating the Brit in a way that few people can, but the TV Champion fights back with his usual limb-focused attacks. He starts tying Okada up in holds, which I love to see, although he isn't maneouvering Okada with the same level of fluency or confidence as he did to Goto the previous night. Is he feeling the pressure of trying to accomplish the near impossible task that Brian Danielson achieved with a broken arm?

Back and forth they go. Okada rallies back multiple times with the dropkick, the ultimate script flipper, but Zack is his equal, escaping multiple Landslide and Rainmaker attempts. Zack counters the Rainmaker into a Cobra Twist. He grounds the Ace, and I'm hoping to see him transition to that move he submitted Goto with. It doesn't happen. Once more Zack moves from hold to hold with less certainly than usual. Okada is able to drape his long legs over the bottom rope.

The final chapter is a strike battle. At first Zack dominates with strong uppercuts, taking the breath away from Okada and reducing him to pitiful responses. However, Okada doesn't just have a second wind, he has infinite winds, and he started powering up and meeting Zack blow for blow. Zack's forearm strikes have suddenly become rather powerful. Okada can throw a wicked forearm when he wants, but both men stood firm. There were many more twists and turns. It ended in the inevitable way Okada matches always end up: Okada dumps Zack with a Landslide, grabs the wrist, Rainmaker, ONETWOTHREE.

I knew it would happen, but I'm still disappointed. I can hear you cheering, Ness. Stop it.

Great match regardless of the outcome.

I'm calling Naito beating Okada in the finals.

Is there any chance Ospreay wins and they give him a retry on his reign that was cut short before it got started with his neck? Also System is Willy a contender for mispellings?

Aug 11, 2023 22:37:30 GMT @ness said:

Is there any chance Ospreay wins and they give him a retry on his reign that was cut short before it got started with his neck? Also System is Willy a contender for mispellings?

There's a chance but I think if anyone is going to beat SANADA at Wrestle Kingdom, it's going to be Naito. There's too much story and history between the two for it to be anyone else.

I think Ospreay loses to Okada but Okada loses in the finals, then potentially Okada takes the US title off Ospreay before he faces Kenny Omega in their rubber match.

Wrestle Kingdom has Naito vs SANADA for the title, Ospreay/Omega III and Okada defends the US title against whoever.

Ospreay vs SANADA is an intriguing match, but given that SANADA is not getting top star reactions, they'll probably go with a safe draw of Okada or Naito to headline the Tokyo Dome. Naito being the more fitting choice of the two.

Ospreay vs Omega III is likely as well.

Okada vs Kiyomiya is an idea for Wrestle Kingdom but given how they booked Kiyomiya in the G1, they've made it abundantly clear he's not even close to Okada's level, so probably not. I should probably forget about that match happening in the near future.

Will Ospreay renamed the US title the United Kingdom title and replaced the US flag with the Union Jack.

I love him so much.

He said it was going to do it during the G1, but I didn't expect it to actually happen. Bravo, Billy. You're getting close to Zack for being my favourite British wrestler.

EVIL vs Kazuchika Okada

I'm losing the energy to write paragraphs about these G1 matches, and I'm sure you understand I'm not too enthusiastic about scribing EVIL's matches.

After a couple of slightly different EVIL matches, we're back to the usual formula, an extended edition because Okada. EVIL gets the early advantage by outbrawling Okada on the floor. Dick Togo distractions. Ref bumps. There were three ref bumps in total. The first two lead to all of House of Torture piling on Okada. The second time Okada hit them all with dropkicks, which incapacitated them for the rest of the match, apparently.

EVIL bumped the referee a third time. He put Okada in the Rainmaker position, spun him around, and hit a low blow. Credit to EVIL, that was original and hilarious. EVIL still couldn't finish Okada. EVIL shoved the referee and went for another low blow, exactly what he did to SANADA, but Okada blocked it. Having foiled all of EVIL's plans, they wrestled straight up and, just like against SANADA, EVIL countered the Rainmaker into EVERYTHING IS EVIL! One! Two! Okada kicks out! I believe that's a first time ever.

EVIL was understandably shocked but he didn't lose his cool for too long and attempted a second one. Okada escaped, back and forth they went. Okada scored with EVERYTHING IS EVIL, then hit a Landslide and a Rainmaker, Okada's in the finals.

That was a rehash of EVIL vs SANADA. The subtext is that Okada could do what SANADA could not. In fact he not only beat Dick Togo and EVIL, he beat SHO and Yujiro as well. Superman Okada is back in town. Well, maybe he never left.


Will Ospreay vs Tetsuya Naito

Ospreay and Naito battle in a hot semifinal. The crowd love both men but this crowd are clearly on Naito's side.

There's usually a lot of posturing and grandstanding in the opening of Naito matches, but not so much here. It was more or less down to business. Naito got the early advantage and focused heavily on Ospreay's neck with some big offense. Later in the match they fought on the apron, a battleground where Ospreay had won against ELP and Finlay with the apron Oz Cutter. Naito was ready for it and stopped the move, before dropping Ospreay with a neckbreaker on the apron. Ouch.

Naito was looking cleaner and crisper than ever. He used some moves he hadn't used in a while such as Gloria, Valentina, and the Koji Clutch. The crowd eruped when Naito went for Stardust Press, unfortunately he crashed to the canvas. Ospreay really is on another level, slowly but surely he got back into the fight. It all came to a head when Ospreay threw nasty hook kicks, one after the other. Naito was staggered, and then he was down. Ospreay hit four of his best shots in a row. Liger Bomb. Oz Cutter. Hidden Blade. Corkscrew Senton Splash. Naito kicked out of all of them, the last two generating big reactions. Ospreay went for the final kill, the Stormbreaker, but Naito transitioned into a beautiful hurricanrana counter for a near fall.

Naito ran at Ospreay for a counterattack but then suddenly collapsed. A great sell, or did one of those kick genuinely knock him loopy? They awkwardly move to the ropes. I hear Ospreay say "Destino" to Naito. Ospreay attempts Stormbreaker, which is somewhat clumsily countered into a Destino. Naito hits a second Destino, but Ospreay had to assist so much it looked more like Ospreay Destino'd himself. Naito picked Ospreay up and hit a clean Destino, the third in a row. That would keep any man down.

The final is set - Naito vs Okada. Great match.

EDIT: Naito got concussed. I blinked and missed that kick when watching live. Moments before that pitiful collapse. I thought the blow happened earlier with the hook kicks.